


a roommate's responsibility

by mezzosaka



Category: DREAM!ing (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, i'm really soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezzosaka/pseuds/mezzosaka
Summary: If he didn’t drown himself in soda, he’d have to face feelings he’d much rather shove down, lock up, never think about again. He was good at ignoring things anyway! He was good at ignoring distractions and Senri’s annoying voice and annoying singing and annoying nicknames and annoying pretty face and annoying cute lips and wow, he really wasn’t good at ignoring Senri at all. That was a problem.Maybe if he just ignored his own thoughts and focused on the screen, he wouldn’t have to ignore Senri. He’d just breathe in, breathe out, listen to another loops of the character selection song, and let every single thought float in one ear and out the other. Easy. He could do that. It was just like meditating.He jolted when he felt a weight on his shoulder.





	a roommate's responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> hello lads!!!!! this is my first d!i fic!!!!!! I REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT THIS SHIP TO BE THE FIRST I'D WRITE FOR BUT HERE WE ARE LOL
> 
> this fic is lowkey for [hal](https://twitter.com/niitosenri) bc i wuv them and they're the sweetest person ever anD ALSO DEFINITELY THE REASON I ENDED UP LOVING SENRI SO MUCH DSFKJKSDJFKDJF HAL I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU LIKE TAKASENRI BUT HEY SENRI'S IN THIS WITH FLOWERY DESCRIPTION AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS
> 
> i hope you enjoy!!!!

The air was tense, nearly suffocating Takaomi with each breath he took. Most of the building’s other occupants had long since gone to bed, leaving this room the only one alive. And alive it was, with tenseness and the bright light of the television and the video game’s background music drowning out the sound of his own heartbeat. Takaomi was sure he was going to go insane if he had to listen to another round of the character selection music, and he jabbed Senri with his elbow.

Right, they’d progressed to being able to sit near enough to each other to do that now. Previously, they’d been unable to even sit on the couch at the same time. It felt nicer to play against each other when they were sitting closer. It brought the feeling of competition tenfold.

“Hey, that hurt!” Senri cried, rubbing at his arm. “I’m trying to pick my character! Don’t rush me!”

“You’ve been trying to pick your character for five fuckin’ loops! Shitty rabbit!” Takaomi tossed his controller to the side, picking his soda back up instead. The  _ nerve  _ of this guy…! “Doesn’t matter who you pick. You’re still gonna lose.”

“I will  _ not!”  _ Senri pouted. “Shut up for a second. I gotta think about which character has stats that’ll totally destroy your character.”

Takaomi nearly tore off the cap of his soda at that. It didn’t matter who Senri picked! Takaomi was going to win no matter what. Stats didn’t matter when he had more skill than any other player he’d ever encountered. Even though Senri was winning, he seemed to get a little worried when Takaomi decided to change his character.

Senri’s emerald eyes were narrow as he stared at the screen. He was chewing on his plush bottom lip, and Takaomi was a little afraid that he’d bleed. Not that he  _ cared  _ about whether or not that stupid fucking rabbit bled or not—he could bleed out and die from that wound on his lip for all Takaomi cared!

Anyway.

Senri seriously seemed to be contemplating his choice for the next character he was going to play. Takaomi wasn’t sure it even warranted that much thought. It was just a fighting game; really, what mattered was how fast you could press buttons in response to your opponent. It was kind of funny, actually, watching Senri think about it so much. His long, thin fingers would tap the joystick in one direction and then the other almost rhythmically. The light of the screen had his porcelain skin glowing, and he looked ethereal. If Takaomi had ever wondered what an angel looked like, he’d have to look no further—

Okay, he really had to stop thinking disgusting things like that. Senri was his  _ shitty  _ school partner, nothing more, nothing less. Takaomi rolled his eyes, forced himself to stare straight ahead at the screen as he gulped his soda down so fast it stung. The carbonation took the form of cool shards of glass beginning to coat his throat, just like the much hotter shards of glass beginning to prick his cheeks.

(But if Takaomi had ever wondered what an angel looked like… He’d never imagined them wearing ugly t-shirts advertising show dates.)

Takaomi wasn’t even sure he remembered why they’d been playing this game so late. They had a test tomorrow, and even if he himself would have been fine, Senri needed to study. He wasn’t dumb by any means. He just needed to put a little more effort into it, and he’d be able to easily pass any class he set his mind to. Instead, Senri was usually helping Yuma. Everyone’s minds were usually on Yuma, though.

Takaomi only vaguely remembered the argument they’d had that only seemed to be settleable through a few rounds of a fighting game. It was something about  _ something,  _ and that turned into  _ best two outta three  _ which turned into  _ best three outta five  _ which turned into  _ best four outta seven  _ which turned into…

Which turned into a night spent decidedly  _ not  _ studying. A night Takaomi spent losing half the time, looking for too long at someone he shouldn’t care about, and proceeding to drown himself in soda. Or at least try to. He at least  _ tried  _ to drown himself in soda.

If he didn’t drown himself in soda, he’d have to face feelings he’d much rather shove down, lock up, never think about again. He was good at ignoring things anyway! He was good at ignoring distractions and Senri’s annoying voice and annoying singing and annoying nicknames and annoying pretty face and annoying cute lips and  _ wow,  _ he really wasn’t good at ignoring Senri at all.  _ That  _ was a problem.

Maybe if he just ignored his own thoughts and focused on the screen, he wouldn’t have to ignore Senri. He’d just breathe in, breathe out, listen to another loops of the character selection song, and let every single thought float in one ear and out the other. Easy. He could do that. It was just like meditating.

He jolted when he felt a weight on his shoulder.

He  _ froze  _ when he tilted his head to see what it was, and his cheek was met with silky orange hair. Senri’s eyes were closed, lips parted, controller just barely falling from his fingers. This was…

...Completely foiling Takaomi’s plan to ignore his feelings. Every single feeling he’d ever had about Senri bubbled up at once, and it was paralyzing Takaomi. He was torn between getting angry and shoving Senri away and remaining calm and trying to wake Senri up in a more gentle way. Should he even wake Senri up at all?

Senri would get mad at Takaomi for interrupting his beauty sleep… Waking him up would mean enduring some kind of babble about eye cream this, moisturizer that, and it was much too late for Takaomi to feel like he even could endure such a thing. It’d just be plain annoying, and Takaomi would rather pass on that. He should just leave him there.

But then Senri would get mad at Takaomi for letting him sleep on the couch… He’d likely chalk it up to some kind of loss and then try to argue how he absolutely  _ didn’t  _ lose. And then Senri would whine about his back hurting, and no matter how much they argued, Takaomi wouldn’t wish a backache on anyone. Even if he did wish the most horrible of backaches on Senri, he wouldn’t be able to deal with the whining.

Senri had been working hard lately, anyway. He deserved all the rest he could get.

So the only reasonable solution was to figure out how to get Senri back to bed without waking him. And there only seemed to be one realistic way of doing it, so really, Takaomi just had to work up the nerve to pick him up. Senri couldn’t be that heavy. If Takaomi learned anything from staring at him all the damn time (in  _ anger,  _ thank you very much), then it was that Senri was quite thin. He certainly had some muscle, due to the high level of physical activity live theatre contained, but he was overall thin.

Right. Takaomi could do it.

He shifted Senri slightly to the side before standing up. He figured it’d be best to save cleaning up for the morning, so he set his empty soda bottle on the floor and made sure there was a clear path from the couch to the stairs. He could pretty much navigate this dorm room with his eyes closed, but it was best to be safe. He decided he’d leave the TV on for now. It offered some light, which was what Takaomi needed most, but he muted it before he tore his hair out from having to listen to that goddamn song once more through.

Takaomi was terrified, but picking up Senri proved to be the easiest part. He was light, just like Takaomi expected. He was really warm, too. Was he getting sick? Was it the beginning of a fever, or was Senri always this warm? Takaomi couldn’t remember, and the fact that his own face was heating up didn’t help either.

Takaomi took the steps one-by-one, digging his fingers into Senri a little too hard when he almost tumbled forward. He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until he was sighing as he set Senri down in his bed. Somehow, he managed to accomplish his mission.  _ Somehow.  _ Now all he had to do was tiptoe back downstairs, turn off the TV, and call it a night—

Senri yanked on the back of Takaomi’s shirt just as he was turning around. Takaomi groaned inwardly. He’d gone through  _ all  _ that to ensure Senri would be able to rest with zero disruption, and he’d still have to stand there and explain why he had been holding on to Senri so tightly. For all he knew, Senri could have woken up a while ago from how hard Takaomi’s heart had been beating. That was what would really be embarrassing.

Takaomi turned around slowly, not quite ready to hear what Senri had to say but coming up with a list of retorts anyway. He looked delightfully sleepy, rubbing his eyes with the hand that had just been grasping Takaomi’s shirt. For someone who talked so much about skincare, Takaomi really would have thought Senri would be more gentle with his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead he grabbed at the blankets, pulling them up to his chest. Senri really did look really cute, and if Takaomi had a bit more courage, he might have said something about it.

“Stay,” Senri finally mumbled. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t wanna…”

No matter how many responses Takaomi had prepared, he’d never in a million years have thought Senri would say something like  _ that. _

Takaomi pressed the back of his hand to Senri’s forehead. “Are you sick or something?! If you get me sick, I’ll have your head! Or are you just making some kind of shitty joke?”

“‘M not joking,” Senri said. “Not sick, either. Just cold.”

“You feel warm.”

“Good job, ace detective. Humans are warm.” Senri opened his eyes fully now, wide and pleading. There was a lot more that he wasn’t saying, and Takaomi wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to press. “Keep me that way?”

The phrasing had Takaomi’s mouth drying up. He should really just turn around, march downstairs, clean the dorm until he was too tired to keep his eyes open, and pass out on the couch. He shouldn’t give in to this shitty rabbit’s demands, especially when he was teasing him like that!

At Takaomi’s hesitance, Senri added, “We don’t have to mention it ever again.”

And that was enough to convince Takaomi. He nodded, figuring silence was the best method of going about it, and Senri moved over to make room. These beds weren’t exactly made for two people. Takaomi laid down a bit awkwardly before Senri wrapped his arms around his torso, pulling him closer.

He was a lot warmer now that their bodies were pressed together. Senri tucked his head under Takaomi’s chin, and Takaomi could just barely feel the cold tip of Senri’s nose through the fabric of his shirt. Maybe Senri really was falling ill. Would Takaomi have to take care of him? Was that something tacked on to the end of the list of a roommate’s responsibilities?

...Did Takaomi even mind the prospect?

“Are you comfy?” Senri asked, once he finally settled.

“You didn’t give me much of a say,” Takaomi snapped, almost instinctively. He felt Senri tense up, and he tried his best to soften his tone. “...Yeah, it’s comfortable.”

Senri didn’t say anything after that, but he seemed to be reassured and relaxed. Takaomi didn’t quite feel stiff, but he was a little afraid to move his arms anywhere other than around Senri’s waist. Senri’s hair tickled his nose and tempted Takaomi’s fingers to run through it, but he tried his best not to think about it.

This was a one-time deal, after all. Takaomi should just do his best to make it as lukewarm of an experience as he could. If it was too enjoyable, he’d just want it again, and if it was too uncomfortable, there’d be an irreparable rift between them.

So he tried not to add anything extra. He just enjoyed the soft sounds of Senri’s breathing, the way Senri curled his fingers into the back of Takaomi’s shirt when he breathed in too deep, his fruity scent drifting through Takaomi’s senses, wrapping around his mind and squeezing its way into his memory.

It was pleasant enough that Takaomi fell into the best sleep he’d ever had.

 

(They didn’t speak about it at all. They didn’t speak about that night or the next night or any other night that ended like that, whether it was because of sickness or chilliness or nightmares or just the need to be close. They didn’t speak about how they pushed their beds together a couple of times when it was just going to be a long week, and they didn’t speak about how Takaomi clung too much in his sleep or how Senri had squeaky snores.

It was their secret, kept safe between four walls and a mountain of blankets. It was their secret, and Takaomi would never let it go.

Takaomi would never let  _ him  _ go.)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!!!!!! feel free to drop a comment and let me know how i did KDFJDKSJF
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/mezzosaka)


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